Top Musicians Return to PBA for International Piano Festival

Several concerts will be open to the public and will feature pianists from all over the world participating in the International Certificate for Piano Artists (ICPA), which is designed for a limited number of high-level pianists who wish to perfect their art.

The festival’s opening concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the Helen K. Persson Recital Hall in Vera Lea Rinker Hall, 326 Acacia Road, West Palm Beach. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for students with ID. For information, contact Ticket Central at (561) 803-2970 or by e-mail at ticketcentral@pba.edu.

On Monday, Feb. 27, the 7:30 p.m. performance will feature piano concertos by J.S. Bach performed by the artists with the Palm Beach Symphony under the direction of Music Director Ramon Tebar and guest conductor Philippe Entremont. The performance will take place in the DeSantis Family Chapel, 300 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $50 for general admission; $30 each for groups of 10 or more; and $10 for students with ID. Call (561) 602-6720 or visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

A high school concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Helen K. Persson Recital Hall in Vera Lea Rinker Hall, and a concert finale and gala reception are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the recital hall. For information and ticket prices for these and other concerts, please call (561) 803-2970 or visit http://www.pba.edu/pianofestival.

In addition to the concerts, the festival will feature master classes by famed ICPA professors Philippe Entremont and Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri. The classes will be held Feb. 21 through Feb. 28 during the day and are open to the public free of charge.

For information about master class locations and times, call (561) 803-2400. Information also is available on the PBA Performances page

The ICPA is organized in collaboration with the École Normale de Musique in Paris — the historical and legendary school that Alfred Cortot founded; and the Fondation Bell'Arte in Braine l'Alleud, Belgium. Participation in the International Certificate Sessions is highly competitive, as only a limited number of students from around the world are chosen for the program each year.